Automatic graphite-feeder.



G. 'KIRKEGAARD.

AUTOMATIC GRAPHITE FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

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AUTOMATIC GRAPHITE FEEDER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoit.

GEORG KIRKEGAARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC GRAPHITE-FEEDER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnone KIRKEGAARD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Graphite-Feeders, of which; the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic graphite feeders and has for its object to provide a device of simple, practical and novel construction for feeding powdered or comminuted graphite for lubricating purposes.

To this end my invention comprises a receptacle for the powdered graphite, means for forcing the graphite through the receptacle and means for mechanically removing a predetermined portion of the material from the receptacle and for delivering it to the element which is to be lubricated.

The detailed construction of my automatic graphite feeder is set forth in the following specification while reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l. is a vertical central section through a graphite feeder embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a central sectional View of the lower part of the apparatus at right angle to Fig. 1 and showing one form of operating means. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing the scraper and delivery element in different positions. Figs. 5 and 6 are views,

partly in section and at right angle to each other of another form of the apparatus.

The automatic graphite feeder illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 is a feeder wholly mechanical in its operation and function and one-which is primarily intended for use on parts to be lubricated where a purely mechanical device is demanded by local conditions, as for instance on automobile engines. The feeder illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 depends for its successful operation upon steam or a similar element and is intended for use upon locomotives or other steam engines. I wish'it distinctly understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the use of the one or the other form of my graphite feeder to any particular engine or machine element to be lubricated, but that the feeders may be used under many conditions and in many places not necessarily mentioned in this specification.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 the numeral 10 represents a receptacle, preferably cylindrical in cross section. The inner wall 11 may Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 5, 1913.

graphite and to withstand wear.

Patented June 23, 1914. Serial No. 746,311.

lloe'tlapered downwardly to the widened out- 13 is the inlet through which the powdered graphite 14 is filled into the receptacle. In order to force the graphite toward the outlet a weight 15 and a spring 16 are placed above the material and the receptacle is closed by a cap 17. 7

It should be noted here that the construction of the receptacle as shown and described contains no restricted passage or obstruction to the graphite as it is pressed downward by the weight and the spring, but that the graphite is fed as a solid mass through the receptacle and that its cross area at no time is subject to a confining or limiting pressure, but on the contrary, the material is insured an easy passage because of the unbroken wall 11'.

Attempts have been made to force powdered graphite from a container of a relatively large cross sectional area through a relatively restricted or narrowed passage. To do so is almost impossible for practical purposes because the nature of graphite is such that it clogs and forms a solid mass unless insured a practically unobstructed passage of substantially the same cross sectional area throughout.

The receptacle 10 is screwed into a suitable casing 18; in which is rotatably mounted, a scraper 19 in the form of a cylinder having scraping or knife edges 20, 20. The

scraping cylinder is tapered to fit the inside taper of the casing as shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with a short shaft or stud 21 whereby the scraper may be rotated by any suitable operating means as illustrated at 22. 23 is a spring which insures a tight fit be tween thescraper and the casing in which latter is secured a shaft 24 around which the scraper rotates and which forms a cam 25 for the regulation .of the movement of the delivery piston 26 which slides transversely in the scraper being suitably guided therein at 27, 27. The piston is provided with an aperture forming an abutting surface 28 which is forced into contact with the cam 25 by a spring 29. e

The casing is provided with an outlet 30 in which I may provide a ring 31 of hardened material to insure that the piston be scraped clean after having delivered the The outlet 30 is externally threaded so that the feeder may be screwed fast to the engine or part to be lubricated. The weight 15 has a rounded bottom to prevent it from injuring the scraping edges 20 when all the graphite has been fed.

From an inspection of the drawings it will be seen that the delivery piston 26 has a slight transverse motion in the scraping,

cylinder regulated by the cam 25 in such a manner that in the position in Fig. 1 the face 32 of the piston is below the periphery of the scraper whereby a space is formed into which the graphite is forced by the weight and the spring 16 and which permits the scraping edge 20-in this instance the right, depending upon the direction of rotationto cut into the graphite and by a scraping or slicing motion remove a thin slice of the material as the scraper is rotated, so that during the operation of the device a thin slice of graphite is removed once for each revolution which occurs as often as demanded for proper lubrication. The portion of graphite removed by the scraper is then carried around until the position of the parts shown in Fig. 3, when the piston 26 is forced downward and forcibly and mechanically eXpels the graphite from the scraper and delivers it into the outlet 30 of the casing from whence it passes to the point of lubrication. Again, the cam 25 is so designed that the piston is not withdrawn into the scraper before it has passed the cleaning member 31 in Fig. 4 thereby insuring thatall material is removed from the piston and delivered.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the scraping cylinder 40 is provided with a pocket 41 into which the graphite is forced by means similar to those described for Fig. 1. Also in this instance jthereis provided a scraping edge 42 and the slicing or sc'rapmg action of the cylinder 40 is similar to thatof the scraper 19. The casing 48 is provided with a steam inlet 44, preferably tangentially disposed with relation to the scraper 40.

45 is a steam supply pipe. 7

During the operation a slice of the pewdered graphite is carried around in the pocket 41 until it becomes exposed to the steamsupplied by the pipe 45, The steam immediately dissolves and washes away the graphite and carries it to the place to be lubricated. As the rotation of the cylinder 40 is very slow, the steam acts upon the graphite gradually to insure it all being washed away. I H

I have shown the pocket 41 in two different positions in dotted lines and when it comes (apposite the vent 46 the steam in the pocket passes out through the vent and the pocket is clean and ready to receive the material when it again registers with the receptacle 10. p V

I The main features and principles of construction in the feeders described consist in forcing the graphite into the path of the scrapingelement and whereby the latter can forcibly remove a slice or portion of the graphite. The difference in operation is of course that in the one case the graphite is mechanically removed from the scraping cylinder while in the other case the steam is the. removing agent.

The slicing or scraping action in removing a portion of the powdered graphite must be sharply distinguished from the scraping action of a carborundum or hardened wheel upon a piece of hard solid graphite, such as is done in devices known to the art. The difference between the lat ter and my graphite feeder is that by means of my construction a definite portion of powdered graphite is removed by the scraper which cuts into the material, whereby the user is at liberty to purchase "graphite in the open market, while, where compressed graphite is used, its'sup'ply is limited to the extent of its manufacture. 1

Various changes in the detailed construction may be made within the principle of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. I

I claim i- '1. In an automatic graphite feeder the scraping member to separate the material fed intosaid space from the material in the receptacle and means for remeving theseparated portion of the material from the scrap-.

ing member.

combination of a receptacle adapted to contain powdered graphite and having ailinlet and an outlet, the wall of the receptaclebetween said inlet and outlet being straight, a scraping member supported adjacent-said '2. In an automatic graphite feeder the outlet and provided with scraping or cutting edges spaced apart a distance greater than the width of said outlet, a delivery member supported in said scraping member between said scraping or cutting edges, means for forcing the material into the space formed between the said edges, means for rotating the scraping member to separate the material fed into said space and means for automatically reciprocating said delivery member to deliver the separated material.

3. In an automatic graphite feeder the combination of a cylindrical receptacle adapted tocontainpowdered graphite and having an inlet and an outlet, the said outlet being of an area not less than the area of the inlet, a "scraping member, a delivery piston in said scraping member, the latter and said piston forming a pocket immediately below said outlet and having an area not less than the area of the said outlet, means for forcing the material into the said pocket, means for rotating the scraping member to separate the material in the pocket from the material in the receptacle and means for reciprocating said piston to expel the material from the said pocket.

4:. An automatic graphite feeder comprising a casing, a receptacle secured to said casing, a scraping cylinder mounted in the latter, a delivery piston movably supported in said cylinder, a shaft fast in the casing and having a cam for regulating the movement of said delivery cylinder, means for forcing a thin layer of the material from said receptacle and into a pocket formed by the said cylinder and delivery piston and means for operating said cylinder and piston for removing said thin layer of material and expelling the same from the said pocket. 7

5. An automatic graphite feeder comprising a casing, a receptacle secured to the same, a scraping cylinder journaled in the casing, a delivery piston mounted in said scraping cylinder, means for operating said delivery piston to form a pocket in said scraping cylinder immediately beneath said receptacle, means for forcing the material into said pocket, means for rotating said scraping cylinder and means for automatically operating said delivery piston to expel the material from said pocket.

6. In a graphite feeder for feeding flakegraphite the combination of a receptacle adapted to contain the graphite and provided with an outlet, means for feeding the graphite through the receptacle and beyond the said outlet, a member supported beneath said outlet and provided With a pocket for receivin that portion of the material which is fedimyond the outlet, the said pocket being of an area not less than the area of the said outlet and means for operating the said member to remove and deliver the said portion of the material.

Signed at'New York, N. Y., this 4th day of February, 1913.

GEORG KIRKEGAARD.

Witnesses:

K. G. LEARD, FRANCIS A. STANTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. 0. 

